Life After the Merge: Phoenix May Cry
by kingofbeasts
Summary: As the Phoenix Force approaches the Earth, it becomes a race to harness it's power. What happens when Dante and his re-staffed Devil May Cry get involved? Loosely based on the AvX arc.
1. Chapter 1

Life after the Merge: Phoenix May Cry

Chapter 1

It had been 3 years after the Merge, and yet some people still haven't gotten used to the idea of two universes united as one. Take a certain white-haired Son of Sparda for example. Ever since the heroes of both worlds banded together to hand Galactus his titanic ass, life has become a little more chaotic at Devil May Cry. Well, that's what you'd expect when you've bunked with a moody female assassin and an obnoxious mercenary.

"Geez, as if Trish and Lady weren't enough." muttered the Devil hunter, clad only in black pants as he was reclining on the sofa in his shoddy shop, his signature red coat hanging in the nearby rack, the ceiling fan rotating sluggishly as the aroma of stale pizza filled the air.

It did seem like a good idea at the time, though; he was looking for some extra hands at the shop, with the number of job requests spiking ever since the Merge. Now, every good demon hunter has to possess two traits; combat skills, and killer instinct. Those two had them in spades, which was why he had hired them out of a list of promising candidates in the first place.

Most of the time, he was thankful for the extra help. However, there were some days, much like this morning, that he wondered what the hell he was thinking when he hired those two...

"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

Deadpool, the infamous Merc with the Mouth, sprinted into Dante's office in fear, clutching what seemed to be his left arm, severed and flailing as he ran. "Dammit! We just started this fanfic, and already I lose a limb? Screw you, author! I'M GOING TO SUE!" shouted the masked merc to no one in particular (You're welcome, by the way), as he hid behind the sofa.

Hot on his heels was Laura Kinney (a.k.a X-23), genetic clone of the famous X-Man/Avenger Wolverine, her slender frame covered by only a bath towel . Her emerald eyes were glowing with murderous intent, her long raven-black hair disheveled, and her claws extended, trickling with the blood of her prey. Dante was watching this entire scene from his relaxing position, so glad he wasn't Deadpool right now.

"WADE! I know you're in here!" She growled as she surveyed the room, sniffing the air as she paced about. A moment later, a sinister grin etched her features as she approached the sofa, picking up momentum as she came nearer. "FOUND YOU!" she yelled as she leapt, her foot claws extended as she delivered a jumping axe-kick to the unfortunate piece of furniture. Dante sighed as he Air Tricked out of the way (closing his eyes as he did so, for Laura's sake as well as his own) as the poor sofa was sliced in half, revealing a very frightened, squealing Deadpool.

"Did you really think you could squirm away from me that easily?!" X-23 asked as she got up to swing her claws at the mercenary, "Enhanced sense of smell, remember?!"

"Then you must have smelled the bacon!" quipped the merc as he dodged all X-23's blows "Logan did love his bacon. I also love bacon. And pancakes. Especially bacon pancakes. Speaking of which, there's a song about that..."

Laura swung with a roundhouse kick which Deadpool evaded, flipping into the living room table as he was trying to remember that song "Hmm...how does it go again?"

X-23 charged wildly, her hands a blur as she executed rapid strikes with the intention of skewering her annoying adversary. Deadpool, however, was way too quick for the female mutant. At the last blow, he back flipped out of the table near the windows.

"Will you ever shut up?!" X-23 yelled exasperated as she kicked the table up in the air, then punted it as it hung in mid-air, turning it into a virtual projectile. Deadpool was barely able to duck as the table flew past him, the shattering of glass signifying yet another broken window.

"Hey, I remember now!" Deadpool began to sing as he danced around her, evading all her attacks and pushing an already aggravated Laura Kinney to the edge. "Bacon Pancakes, making Bacon Pancakes! Take some Bacon and you put it in a Pancake! Bacon Pancakes, that's what's it gonna make Bacon Pancaaaaaa-yeaugh!"

Laura managed to block out his inane blabbering just long enough to tackle Wade into the floor. She entered a mounted position _**(Deadpool: Oooh, kinky!), **_ready to hack Deadpool apart limb from limb _**(DP: Not the face, not the face!). **_She would've done just that had Dante not fired a warning shot from his handgun Ebony.

"Okay, enough!" Dante got up from his desk, having teleported there when the fracas began, moving towards the parties responsible for the mess as they both stood up. "This was fun at first, but do you know how many times I've had to replace the couch?" He noted that he would also have to get a new table. And a window. "Ugh, Lady would just love this." He thought to himself.

"So," Dante asked Deadpool "Did you peep at Laura in the shower again?" "I so did not!" retorted the madman, crossing his one good arm "...Okay, maybe a little. But just a little! I mean, this was bound to happen soon or later! It's obvious the author has a weird X-23 fetish he doesn't tell his friends about! That's why he wrote everything that way for his own twisted amusement!"

Dante looked at the merc incredulously, completely unable to comprehend what Deadpool just said. "Right, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." He then directed his attention to X-23, who had already sheathed her claws, in a scolding manner "And you, young lady. What did I tell you about decapitating other people?"

"You said, and I quote, 'No decapitating civilians!'" retorted the mutant teen "Deadpool, as we all know, is not a civilian. Certainly, he's anything BUT civil. Therefore," She unsheathed the claws in her right arm and pointed them at Wade, her expression grim. "I can cut him up as many times as I want to."

"Wow, you just went X-Force on me, wolverette." remarked Deadpool "You know, maybe all that rage came from your dark and lonely past. Or from your failed crush on Julian Keller. Or because you never made it to EVO as a popular character. Or maybe-"

The merc stopped in mid-ramble as Laura, with her foot claw drawn out, kicked him in the nether regions, finally shutting him up. The pain, as you can imagine, was unbearable as Deadpool dropped like a fly, doubling over and moaning in agony.

"Owww, the crown jewels!"

"Laura, go get changed. Now." Laura said no more, only offering an irritated grunt as she sheathed her claws and strode towards her room in a huff. After she left, Dante surveyed the collateral damage his two co-workers caused. "I swear, they're more trouble than their worth sometimes."

He turned his attention to a still writhing-in-pain Deadpool. He went to him and offered him a helping hand. "Come on, get up. You still got an arm to reconnect" said the half-demon as he reached out for the downed merc. Deadpool got himself up, reattached his arm, and dusted himself off. "You good?" "Yeah, I'm cool. Somehow." replied Wade.

"Good, 'cause you're buying lunch" Dante said, smirking as he watched a grumbling Deadpool walk over to the phone to order pizza for their dysfunctional team.

~0~

Tokyo, Japan

_**CLANG! CLANG!**_

The sound of steel clashing against steel rang in the air as two warriors were engaged in a duel to the death. Two katanas flashed like lightning, their wielders moving so fast it was impossible to follow their movements.

Vergil, Brother to Dante and a Son of Sparda, had thought that this was going to be a simple operation; retrieve the Genma Samonji, an ancient blade boasting of considerable demonic power, from one of the Hand's secret bases.

How the Hand obtained such a weapon and what they intended to do with it, no one can say. Vergil couldn't care less, though. All they did was making sword easy for him to locate.

He had no difficulty infiltrating the base, making quick work of any Hand Ninja he encountered along the way. He made his way to the room it was being kept in, attracting the attention of two Hand ninjas guarding the weapon. Not even bothering to unsheathe his katana Yamato, he quickly conjured two blue, ethereal swords floating behind him. "Be gone!" With one quick motion, the swords flew and impaled the guards through the heart, each of them uttering a cry of agony as they went limp and died.

He stepped up to take the Genma Samonji from it's pedestal. He held up the greatsword to get a better look at it, admiring the quality of the blade. He also felt the demonic energy humming from the blade, manifesting itself in an orange glow coating the massive black blade.

"Yes, this shall make a fine weapon" thought Vergil as he strapped the weapon into his back as he made his getaway. All in all, an easy mission, right?

Perhaps too easy. What he hadn't counted on, however, was attracting the attention of the legendary Onimusha, Samanosuke Akechi, who also raided the Hand base to liberate the weapon. Having seen Vergil run off with his prize, Samanosuke was hot on his heels.

The red armored samurai gave chase to the half-demon, catching up with him atop the rooftops of the Japan Branch of the Rand Corporation. "What do you want with the Genma Samonji?" Samanosuke asked, wary of the white-haired interloper. "That sword is not meant for mere mortals to wield!"

"What I intend for this sword is none of your business. Now stand aside!" said Vergil, directing his trademark icy glare at the samurai, his left hand resting on Yamato.

"I am afraid I cannot do that." the legendary samurai drew his katana and entered a battle stance, the Oni gauntlet on his right hand glowing ominously "Now, surrender the Genma Samonji or face my wrath!"

In response, Vergil crouched into a battou stance, his cold stare never leaving his opponent "Then you leave me no choice..."

Neither of them moved at first, each of them anticipation the other's move. The tension muffled all sound in the air, all but the trickling of water from a nearby pipe.

_**Drip, drip, drip**_

It was at that last drip our combatants charged at each other, bringing us back to the present as the two warriors are now locked in a dance of death.

Vergil drew his blade in a flash as Samanosuke brought down his sword in response. Each drew back to give themselves some breathing room. They paced around each other, measuring their respective opponents, then charged in once again.

What followed was a series of quick strikes from Vergil, overwhelming Samanosuke and forcing him to go on the defense. "Is that all the legendary Onimusha has? I expected more!" Vergil mocked, dodging countering each of the samurai's offensive strikes, slowly backing him into a corner.

Thinking fast, Samanosuke channeled energy from his gauntlet into his blade, transforming it into twin blades that seem to illuminate the night sky, the Tenso. He was able to surprise the half-demon with this change of tactics, using the increased speed to keep up with his adversary.

"It's time I took this a little more seriously." thought Vergil, now utilizing his Trick move, always teleporting after a series of strikes to outmaneuver the red armored samurai.

Samanosuke saw through this tactic, however, and channeled energy to transform the Tenso into a gigantic battle axe known as the Chigo, waiting for the right moment. "Got you!" Catching Vergil as he teleported behind him, he responded with massive horizontal swing from the axe.

Vergil would have been ripped in half had he not brought up Yamato in time to block. Still, the force of the axe threw Vergil a few paces back. He managed to angle his body and land relatively unscathed in a kneeling position.

"Not bad. You certainly live up to the name, Onimusha." remarked Vergil with a devilish grin, getting up and sheathing Yamato to the Onimusha's surprise. "Now, I believe it's time to try out my new toy."

He reached for the Genma Samonji and, with one mighty swing, brought it down to unleash a burst of demonic energy powerful enough to knock Samanosuke to the ground.

The Oni warrior had only begun to get on his feet when Vergil, holding the unholy sword above his head with both hands, reappeared above Samanosuke for what would seem to be an earth shattering strike. The samurai raised the Chigo in defense as the silver-haired warrior came crashing down, but the strength of the blow was still enough to send Samanosuke a few floors below.

Vergil landed on the roof, sheathing the greatsword on his back as he surveyed the damage. "Such power..." he murmured to himself, still in awe at the power this sword commanded

"'He' shall be most pleased." Vergil remembered who commissioned him to retrieve this weapon, and the promise of power his employer had made him once he fulfills his end of the bargain. That did not stop the Son of Sparda from being wary of him, though; his experience with Arkham still fresh on his mind...

As he contemplated on his current situation, his phone rang. Surprised that he'd be getting a call at this time, Vergil picked it up, only to see an unidentified number. Initially perplexed by the mystery caller, the blue clad half-demon answered anyway, a slick voice responding on the other end.

"Hello Vergil."

"You! How did you get this number?"

"Your employer graciously provided me with your contact information." answered the voice on the other end "He didn't seem to mind that I borrow you for my next scheme."

"Whatever you have in mind, I am not interested." responded Vergil, eager to end this conversation as soon as he can. He was in no mood to chat.

"Oh believe me, you will be." continued the caller "I assume you have felt it too? That familiar burning sensation, akin to a flame." Vergil was taken aback, having indeed felt the same thing once while in meditation. "So invigorating, yet so dangerous. You know what I speak off."

Vergil knew that sensation, having once fought with a woman who wielded such power. She was said to have died, but that power still lives, somewhere in the deep recesses of space, consuming everything in it's path. "So, it is coming here?"

"I believe so. And, from what I gather from my sources, a young mutant girl will be the key" said the caller, ready to put the icing on the cake "A war is coming, Son of Sparda, and I intend to be one step ahead. If you want in, I have a plane ready for you at the nearest airport. I'll be waiting."

The caller hung up, leaving Vergil to ponder on his next move. He looked at the Genma Samonji, humming with demonic energy as it glowed. "I suppose he can wait a little while longer." said Vergil, deciding to head for the airport.

As if on cue, Samanosuke emerged from the rubble, his gauntlet glowing and ready for round two. "Ah, you have returned. As much as I want to continue our game," Vergil said as he walked away, his back turned to the samurai "I have pressing matters to attend to. Another time, perhaps."

"Don't you turn your back at me, gaijin!" Samanosuke roared as he charged at Vergil, his sword raised to strike the silver-haired half-demon.

As if he anticipated this, Vergil summoned several ethereal swords, firing them all at once at the lunging samurai.

Samanosuke immediately changed his weapon into the Shipuu, a double-edged naginata capable of summoning powerful winds. He spun around in a circle, conjuring a cyclone that shielded him from the flying swords.

As he emerged from the cyclone, Samanosuke realized that his enemy used those swords as a distraction, taking advantage of the situation to escape.

Samanosuke cursed at his inability to defeat the silver-haired Son of Sparda. He knew now that he had to chase him down. He had to stop him from using the Genma Samonji, no matter what it takes.

~0~

"IT'S MAHVEL, BAYBEH!"

Despite the chaos earlier, the Devil May Cry staff resumed it's daily activities; Dante and Deadpool playing a few rounds of Ultimate Marvel v.s Capcom 3, somehow making do with the broken couch, while Laura sat in a nearby chair reading a book, fully clothed in her usual black tank top, pants and combat boots. All while waiting for the damned phone to ring.

"Hey, Wade! Look, I'm kicking your ass!" Laura only rolled her eyes at that comment; whenever Dante and Deadpool play video games, things become pretty noisy.

"Cheap ass Zero, and his cheap ass lightning! Why didn't Capcom put Mega Man in this game instead of this douchebag?" complained Wade, trying to comprehend why Capcom didn't put in their famed mascot.

"Beats me. I still don't understand what the hell M.O.D.O.K is doing here."

"Yeah! How can anyone take him seriously with his floating head and stubby arms? I mean, he looks like flying marshmallow!"

"Can you guys keep it down? Trying to read here!" Laura facepalmed as the duo roared out in boisterous laughter, unable to keep reading. Yet, she couldn't help but smile inside.

She had been away from the X-Men for a good three years. While she certainly felt at home in Utopia, she felt the same way in this new place. Only this time, she was free to live her life the way she sees fit.

"You want orders? You want missions? Give 'em to yourself for once." Logan once told her. It was only now she understood what he meant.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when the phone (finally) rang. She got up and answered the phone "Devil May Cry?" Even Dante and Wade stopped their gaming, checking to see if there will be action today.

"It's a customer with the number. What should we do?"

"Heh, do you even have to ask?" said Dante as he put on his red trenchcoat with a stylish flair. He holstered his handguns, Ebony and Ivory, at their holsters and strapped his greatsword Rebellion on his back, suited up and ready to go.

"Ooh, ooh! I'm on point!" declared Deadpool with manic glee as he sheathed his twin katanas on his back, bringing a pair of uzis and assorted explosives along for the ride.

"Looks like this won't be such a boring day after all." commented X-23, unsheathing her claws in anticipation of the battle ahead.

"Okay men, we got work to do!" Dante kicked the door to Devil May Cry of it's hinges as the three of them charged at the demon-infested streets guns ablazing.

"Alright, Let's Rock!"

END CHAPTER 1.

_A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Life After the Merge: Phoenix May Cry! Had loads of fun writing this and I hope you have a lot of fun reading this as well! If you want to know how everything will play out for our heroes and villains, stay tuned for the next chapter and see what happens next!_

_Deadpool: Hey! You, writer!_

_A/N: What? If you're still mad about what happened earlier-_

_Deadpool: Oh, I'll get back at you for that later. Right now, aren't you forgetting something?_

_A/N: Hmm, Oh yeah! Almost forgot, All the characters that showed up for this story are owned by Marvel and Capcom. The only thing I own is the story. See ya!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. They all belong to Marvel and Capcom. That being said, on with the show!_

Life After the Merge: Phoenix May Cry

Chapter 2

Fortune City, Nevada. It was once a gambler's paradise. People from all over would flock in to either see the sights, hit the casinos, or enjoy Terror is Reality, a hit reality TV show that features competitors hacking zombies apart in various ways. Indeed, it was a metropolitan utopia.

That is, until a recent zombie outbreak forced the military to firebomb the place. It was an event the world came to know as "Fortune's End."

Now, it is a desolate wasteland. Everything was leveled to the ground in order to purge the zombie infection. While Las Vegas was able to rebuild, Fortune City, much like Raccoon City and Willamette before it, was left in ruins.

As such, Vergil found it odd that he would meet the mysterious caller here. Then again, he was knowledgeable in the area of zombie infestations. In fact, he was a pioneer in that particular field. The fact that it made the perfect hiding place was merely a bonus for him.

"He would have done a better job had HE been the mastermind." the other Son of Sparda begrudgingly admitted. Pushing that thought aside, he focused on the job ahead and entered the blighted landscape, the stench of rotting flesh still strong even after the bombing.

Vergil quickly traversed the ruins of Fortune City, passing what used be the Yucatan Hotel along the way, until he came to his destination; The safe house that housed the survivors before they were rescued. What was left of it anyway.

Seeing that the gate was completely destroyed, he had no problem entering. Once he was in, Vergil reached for his pocket and grabbed a note he was given earlier by the one who drove him there from the airport. In it were instructions he needed to follow to access a part of Fortune City not shown in any of tourist maps.

"The door should be down here..." He managed to reach the basement, approaching what looks like a folding gate. Seeing that it wouldn't budge, Vergil drew Yamato and effortlessly sliced the gate in half.

The gate revealed a steep corridor, with an elevator door right at the end. As he moved closer to the door and pressed the button, he saw that the door had the logo of the Umbrella Corporation painted on it. Probably used as a hidden research center before Umbrella was shut down.

"How fitting..." was Vergil's only response as he stepped in the elevator.

The door opened to reveal a huge laboratory, miraculously untouched by the Fortune City bombings. It was a massive circular room, rows of computers encircling the center. It seemed to run on it's own generator, as the power was still on even after Fortune's End.

The office chairs were covered with a fresh coat of dust. The floor, being made of steel, makes a clanging sound with every step. As the room was sterilized to prevent contamination, the smell was surprisingly fragrant.

At the very edge of the lab was a stairway that led to what seemed to be the conference room. There were also six empty stasis cells in the center of the room. Two of them were broken, only recently from the looks of it.

"_Better be on my guard then,_" thought the silver-haired half-demon as he traversed the lab, slowly making his way to the conference room.

He managed to come across one of the containers, and saw that there was a person inside of it. The subject seemed to be of Indian descent. He was a bear of a man, well built to match his massive frame. On the label it read, "Harjit Singh". Thinking nothing of it, Vergil continued his trek.

It was no sooner that he reached the stairs that he heard a guttural, unholy roar.

Vergil looked up to see two gigantic forms crawling on the ceiling. They dropped down in front of the him with a resounding crash. The blue-clad half-demon got a close look at them, and recognized what they were immediately.

Their skin seemed as rotting flesh, jagged claws adorning the left arm, making the right arm smaller by comparison. Their faces were disfigured, and have no thoughts of their own. Only the desire to feed.

They were Bio-Organic Weapons, monstrosities created by the depraved side of science. These nightmares were key in the destruction of Raccoon City and, ultimately, Umbrella's designs. To many, they only have one name.

"Tyrants..."

One of them gave a roar, each of them baring their claws at the interloper, seeing him as a tasty morsel. They slowly moved towards their prey, their intent being to feed. A normal man would have quaked at their approach, absolutely terrified of these macabre giants.

Vergil, however, was no normal man.

"How kind of my host to provide entertainment," said the half-demon with a sadistic grin on his face. He motioned the undead titans to come at him in a taunting manner "It's seems that the guard dogs have not been properly fed. Maybe they would like a taste of my steel!"

He ran straight at the Tyrants, eager for his warm-up.

~0~

"Come on! Is that all you got?!"

Dante had impaled a Hell Pride, a demon that wore a cloak like the Grim Reaper, right at the gut. Using his free hand, he drew Ivory and opened fire at another Hell Pride, the bullets pulverizing the hapless demon.

Sensing a group of demons, hellhounds from the look of it, coming from behind, Dante swung the still impaled demon around and tossed him at his would be attackers, the poor bugger flung like a rag doll at his comrades.

The hellish street fight had gone on for hours, yet the demons kept coming. To Dante and his crew, this was their idea of a good time, as they were bored from waiting for a job all day. This was exactly the kind of work out they needed. Plus, they'll get paid for it too (hopefully).

"Damn straight, author guy!" Deadpool spun around in a manic circle, his uzis firing away at any demon unfortunate enough to be in his sights. Once he stopped spinning, Wade drew his katanas and sliced off a nearby demon's arm. "C'mon! Papa needs the money, baby!"

"For what?" asked Dante as he rained bullets from mid-air at a demon that looked strangely like a donkey.

"For Tekken Tag Tournament 2, of course! Blade's there, and he's a freakin' ninja! Do you know how cool being a black ninja vampire is?!"

"Um, you do realize that's not Blade, right?" Dante, side stepped a thrown weapon aimed at him, and shot the poor demon in the head with Ebony as a response.

"He isn't? Aw man, I thought that was him for sure! Well, it's either him or Wesley Snipes."

Utilizing his teleportation belt, Deadpool teleported to the air, escaping an incoming horde. Pulling the pin off, he threw a grenade that exploded on impact, taking out several demons in the process. "Eat some Pineapple! It's good for you!"

"Nice one, Wade! Alright, looks like it's my turn to party!"

Dante summoned Nevan, a Devil Arm that resembled a purple guitar, and and executed a power slide while shredding wildly. A column of bats surrounded the Son of Sparda as it took out dozens of demons in it's wake.

"Pshh. Show-off." muttered Deadpool when he saw the carnage Dante had wrought. "Thank you, thank you! Sorry, but I don't do encores!" The red-clad demon bowed to his dead audience as if he were in a rock concert.

"Yeah, yeah very impressive. We done here, Fabio?" Wade asked as he approached Dante, noting that most of the demons were dead "Not quite," The Son of Sparda responded as he kept Nevan "we still got to deal with one last huge ass demon. You know, that one over there?"

The red-clad half-demon pointed towards the direction of a crimson-skinned demon as big as a small house a few blocks away. It had a well-built frame, horns on it's head, and hooves for feet. It brandished in it's left hand what looked like giant cleaver that was jagged around it's edges. If anything, it looked a gigantic demonic satyr.

"Oooooh. You mean the World of Warcraft reject?"

"Yup, that one. How did we even miss that guy? I mean, he's huge!" wondered Dante.

"I blame the author. I always blame stuff on the author. Like global warming, and for what happened last chapter. You should try it too. It's fun!" said Deadpool with glee.

"Uhmm...I'll pass." Dante said, thoroughly weirded out by his co-worker "Hey, have you seen Laura?"

"Wasn't she with you?"

They got their answer quickly. The demon let out what seemed to be pained howl. The red-clad duo got a closer look and saw that it already had several gashes all over it's body. They looked up and saw X-23, green eyes full of rage, adamantium claws hacking away at the demonic satyr's face.

"_Count on Laura to tackle the big threats." _thought Dante, admiring the girl's moxie.

_**(DP: Seriously? Moxie? Who uses that word these days?)**_

Increasingly annoyed at being slashed, the demon reached out and pulled Laura of his face. The lithe assassin tried to escape from his grasp, but that only encouraged the demon to squeeze tighter, causing X-23 to cry out in agony.

Sensing that this may not end well, Dante sprinted towards the beast and called to his co-worker 'Wade!"

"On it!" The mad merc teleported immediately to the left side of the Satyr, katanas drawn and ready to strike "LEROY JENKINS!"

The hairy demon anticipated that, though, and smacked Wade with his blade as response. Wade was able to avoid getting cut in half, but that didn't stop him from crashing through the window of the nearby pub.

"I'm okay..." moaned Deadpool, clearly in pain, as he attempted to get up. He then realized that he had broken every bone in his body from the crash, unable to move due to the pain.

"Then again, maybe not. I think I'll just lie here for a while." Wade fell to the floor with a thud, allowing his regenerative abilities to take effect

The Satyr, clearly satisfied with his work, turned his attention to Laura, who was hacking at his hand the entire time. Growing irritated with the pest, he tightened his grasp, ready to crush the life out of the struggling girl.

"Hey, Ugly! Over here!"

"Huh?" The Satyr turned around to find the source of the noise, only to get shot in the left eye, courtesy of Dante's sniper rifle, The Spiral.

"Damn, haven't used this gun in a while." remarked the demon hunter, having fired it from a few blocks away. It achieved the effect he wanted; the humongous Satyr was now blind on one eye, howling mad and wildly swinging it's blade.

This gave Laura the opening she needed. She took advantage of the demon's loosening grip as she gave one final stab at it's hand. The red-skinned giant, roaring in agony, finally released his hold and let go.

As she fell, Laura shifted her wait so she could land on her feet. Dante managed to reach her landing area, only to find a lone Hell Pride waiting.

Acting quickly, Dante drew Rebellion and ran it through with a Stinger, the beast dispatched easily. As if on cue, X-23 landed on the flat edge of Rebellion in a crouching position, making for a stylish landing.

"Thanks, Dante!" Laura said, turning to Dante with a smile on her face. The red-clad demon hunter noted that she was a lot prettier when not enraged, but she'd never tell her that to her face.

The Satyr, still half-blind and in rage, began to trudge towards the odd pair when suddenly...

"DISTRACTION!"

In comes Deadpool, recuperated and smelling of booze, teleporting to a building on the target's blind side to open fire on the hapless demon. "Catch me if you can, handsome!" Wade mockingly blew a kiss at the direction of the creature.

The demon, already pissed as it is, brought down in it's cleaver with a mighty chop. The building got sliced in half, but Deadpool was able to make a quick getaway.

"Geez, even my drunk grandma can do better! Well, not with a giant cleaver anyway, but you get the point!"

All the demon wanted to do at this point was to kill Wade to shut him up. It was so focused on chasing the insane merc, it completely forgot about Dante and X-23, who were now a good distance away from the beast.

"It seems that Wade got it's attention." observed Laura, still crouching on Dante's extended sword. "That's good," said Dante, "That should buy us some time to think of a plan."

"Hey, Dante."

"Yeah?"

"I got two words for you" Laura grinned as she spoke.

Dante, who quickly understood, grinned as well. He braced himself in a batter's position, Laura gripping on Rebellion tightly.

"You ready, Laura?" asked Dante. She responded with a determined nod, ready as she will ever be.

"Alright!" Dante swung his greatsword with all his might, launching X-23 right at the demon "Go long!" He watched as she flew straight at the Satyr.

Deadpool whistled as Laura soared through the air "The first Marvel/Capcom Fastball Special!"

Laura shifted her body so that her feet will land first. She unsheathed the claws at her feet, preparing for the inevitable impact.

"EAT THIS!" X-23 literally slammed her feet, claws extended, into the monster's good eye, completely blinding the demon in the process. She somersaulted off it's face as the Satyr roared in pain.

"Wade, now!" Laura called to the masked merc as she landed on a nearby roof.

"Fear my chopsticks!" Deadpool teleported in mid-air and threw what seemed to be black, metallic spikes right at the demon's legs, impaling them in the process. As he landed, Wade pulled out what looks like a detonator and pressed on it.

The spikes began to flash red and beep loudly. They suddenly exploded, causing the demon a colossal amount of pain, bringing it to it's knees in the process. "Exploding chopsticks for the win!" cried Deadpool with a fist pumped in the air.

A red blur appeared in front of the Satyr's face, revealing Dante suspended in mid-air as he charged Ebony and Ivory for the kill-shot.

"Jackpot!" Dante declared with a smile as he fired. The charged bullets penetrated the thick hide, killing the demon instantly as it fell to pavement with a thud.

~0~

Elsewhere...

"You are a playing a dangerous game, Wesker."

"Rest assured, Victor." said Albert Wesker, infamous bioterrorist formerly affiliated with Umbrella Corporation, his signature black trenchcoat in a rack as he spoke to an armored green-hooded man on a giant screen. "I know that my plan is risky, but the rewards shall be glorious."

"Imagine this; the Phoenix Force, a force of nature capable of destroying planets, in our capable hands. The possibilities are endless. With this power, we can bring this world to it's knees."

As he said this, Wesker's red eyes began glowing under his shades, his excitement barely contained. The man on the screen, the equally notorious Victor Von Doom, remained skeptical about the entire arrangement.

"Doom is well aware of the capabilities of the Phoenix Force." Dr. Doom pointed "Indeed, it still piques my interest, even now. However, with all that power, it can potentially destroy us all. Even Doom is not foolish enough to attempt such folly."

"I understand your fears, Doctor. However, like it or not, it is coming." Wesker pointed out "Know that every so-called hero, as well as us, will take interest in the entity. In fact, my Intel tells me that, in a week's time, the Avengers will be making a scheduled trip to Utopia."

Wesker pressed a button, and a hologram of a map of San Francisco appeared behind him, the island of Utopia having been highlighted. Images of the famed hero Captain America and X-Men leader Cyclops also popped up in the holo-board.

"From what I hear," Wesker indicated the images of these two heroes "Relations between the Avengers and the X-Men have been strained as of late, thanks to a number of incidents. I can only imagine that things will only get worse."

"Doom is aware of this as well. But what does this have to do with our prize?"

"I was about to get to that, my good Doctor." Wesker readjusted his glasses "You see, the Avengers see the Phoenix Force as a threat to humanity, while the X-Men see it as the Mutant Race's saving grace. All their silly notions aside, the key to controlling it will be this girl."

Another press of a button, another image popped up. This time, it was the picture of a green-eyed red-haired girl in her late teens.

"Her name is Hope Summers" continued the blonde schemer "She is said to be an Omega-level mutant possessing great power. Much like Jean Grey before her, she is suspected to become the next Phoenix Host."

Wesker began to grin, a menacing look on him, as he continued to build up the suspense "The Avengers intend to take the girl into their custody. I can imagine that the mutants will take offense to that."

"So you intend to kidnap the girl as tensions rise?" inquired Doom

"Exactly. I already have enough people to cause a diversion that should attract the attention of both parties. Distracted, they will leave their precious 'Mutant Messiah' poorly guarded. Then we shall swoop in to take her, by force if necessary."

Wesker paused briefly, allowing his potential ally to take all this in. "And rest assured, Victor," he resumed "That every precaution will be taken in handling the Phoenix Force. So, what say you? Do you wish to join me in the saturation of this world?"

Doom stroked his masked chin in deep thought. The very idea of controlling an unstoppable force of nature is ludicrous in itself. He knew, from his experiences with it's last host, that the world will end as they know it if they aren't careful.

What Wesker was suggesting insane. Bordering on madness even...

Yet, it was mad enough to possibly work.

"Very well," Doom finally responded "We shall join forces once more. May the world tremble before our might!"

"Excellent! We mobilize a week from now. Be ready by then."

"I look forward to it." Doom was about to take his leave before he decided to say one more thing.

"A piece of advice; Doom does not take betrayal lightly. Should you ever decide to stab me in the back, not even your B. can save you. I hope we are clear on this."

With that, Doom turned off his screen. "Oh, I heard you loud and clear." Wesker said to himself with a smirk. He will deal with Doom in his own time.

Right now, what's important is that he has secured a dependable ally. With Dormammu currently trapped in the Dark Dimension, Super Skrull off-world, and Magneto with the X-Men, it was nice to see a few familiar faces from the "Galactus Wars" days.

Speaking of familiar faces, a silver-haired individual entered the door wiping his sword. His blue coat was stained with blood, but it was not his own.

"Ah, glad you can make it, Son of Sparda. Pardon the welcoming party, but it keeps troublemakers from waltzing in whenever they please."

"At least they gave me a good warm-up." Vergil sheathed his katana, sizing up his potential partner. "So, what did I miss?"

"Just recruited a reliable asset to our cause. He found my plan quite intriguing."

"About that," Vergil fixed his cold stare straight at the bioterrorist "What exactly is your plan, Wesker?"

"That's what I'd like to find out."

They both turned to regard the newcomer, a female of Asian descent, as she entered through the door. She wore a purple breastplate strapped to her body, revealing her fit figure. She also wore white baggy trousers. She had fingerless gloves on and her hair was done as if they looked like horns. Her most striking feature was her left eye, glowing with an eerie light that would put most people on edge.

It could be said that she was beautiful, in her own dark way.

"I saw a couple of your dead B. lying on the floor on my way in. Your security is becoming lax, Albert."

"It only proves that our visitor is quite capable. Defeating two Tyrants is no easy feat." He turned to the half-demon "Meet Juri Han, femme fatale and current leader of S.I.N. Juri, this is-"

"Vergil, Son of Sparda. I have heard so much about you." She moved closer to him, her face inches away from his, her lustful stare meeting his cold one.

"My, you're one handsome devil, aren't you? " Juri said in a seductive tone "I heard that you're quite handy with that sword you carry. Perhaps you can show me a few tricks," She stroked Vergil's face sensually "In private?"

The blue-clad half-demon clearly wasn't amused, as he quickly withdrew Yamato and slashed at her. Juri jumped back, dodging the blade as she showcased inhuman reflexes.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" said Juri, her face etched with an expression of manic glee "I can tell that we'll have so much fun together!"

"Now Juri, play nice." Wesker interjected, slightly amused by the interactions between the two

"Oh, Albert. I was just starting to have fun." the female assassin purred with a mischievous grin.

"You will have time for that, I'm sure." Wesker remarked "Now, down to business. Do you have the data I asked for?"

"Oh, that." Juri said in a disinterested tone. She reached for her pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a USB stick.

"Here." She gave the stick to Wesker "The files you asked for, pried from the very depths of Stark Industries. Getting them was way too easy. Stark's pet succubus made things quite difficult, though."

Wesker inserted the stick into the hard-drive and saw the file he needed. He opened it, and various images of various designs of an armor belonging to one Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man. Among the pictures were the words "Phoenix Killer."

"Perfect." Wesker said as he removed his glasses, revealing his cat-like eyes, to get a better look. "Exactly what I was looking for. Excellent work, Juri."

"I aim to please." Juri said as she bowed in a mocking fashion.

"What do you intend to do with these blueprints?" Vergil inquired as he looked on.

"I will have Doom take look at them, as he is quite familiar with Stark Tech." Wesker said as he continued to stare into the screen "In the mean time, you two shall contact all those who have pledged to join our cause. You'll be glad to know that Shadaloo is also on board, so you'll be seeing your old friend once more, Juri."

"Oh, whoopee." Juri remarked with a sarcastic tone.

"We strike at Utopia in a week's time. Until then, you are dismissed."

"Wait." Vergil, having listened to Wesker give orders the entire time "You still haven't answered the question. What exactly is your plan, Wesker?"

Wesker turned from the screen and gazed at the two intently, his expression an unreadable smirk.

"You shall soon see, my friends."

~0~

Back at Devil May Cry. After a long day's work

"Oh, how I love pay day!"

Deadpool, obviously over-joyed with getting paid, hugged a metal briefcase with a lot of bank notes like his life depended on it.

"Hey guys! We should splurge all this money by taking a vacation somewhere. Maybe the Philippines!"

"Dude, no." interjected Dante, relaxing with his feet on his desk as he listened to Wade's rant "For two reasons; one, Lady would kill us, and two, you're still a wanted man back there."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that torrenting is illegal there now? That just ain't right, ya know?!"

"Be that as it may," Laura added as she was watching the news on T.V "You didn't have to brutalize the officers back then."

"Hey, if Hawkeye can do it in Bourne Legacy, then so can I! 'It's more fun in the Philippines' my ass!"

As she blocked out Deadpool's incessant whining, she turned her attention to the red-clad demon hunter.

"Uhm, Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "_That came out of the blue" _thought the younger Son of Sparda. "For what?"

"For saving me earlier." replied Laura.

"Ah, it's no big deal. You'd have done the same for me anyway."

Laura smiled at that, once again catching Dante off guard. She had gone a long way from three years ago, from the brooding lost girl to this headstrong, confident woman sitting on their broken couch.

"_She still has her violent tendencies, though"_ Dante thought to himself. Still, he was glad to see the girl finally come out of her shell. A certain canuckle-head would be quite proud.

"Well," Laura said as she rose from the sofa "I'm turning in early. Had a really exhausting day. Good night!"

As she went down the hall to get ready for bed, Dante couldn't help but let a smile on his face. He then noticed Deadpool looking at him in a leering manner

"What?" Dante asked, looking at his partner warily.

"Admit it." Wade said as he continued to bear a goofy grin beneath his mask. 'You want to fill her dark soul with light, don'tcha?"

_**BANG!**_

Deadpool fell to the floor with a thud, a bullet lodged in his skull.

"Goodnight, Wade!" Dante turned off the lights and left, leaving Wade just lying there on the floor.

"Ouch..."

END CHAPTER 2

_A/N: Whew! Another chapter down! This one took longer than expected to make, but it was totally worth it! What will happen one week later you ask? Then wait for the next chapter to know more! Until then, toodles!_

_DP: Wow, that was short._

_A: Yeah, I know. Didn't have a lot to say_

_DP: The let me play the song of my people! (Plays bagpipe)_

_A: And on that note, see you next time readers!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Capcom. If I did, the Avengers v.s X-Men arc would have been a bit like this._

_A/N: If you haven't played Resident Evil 6 yet, there are spoilers up ahead. Proceed at your own peril._

Life After the Merge: Phoenix May Cry

Chapter 3

_**S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, One Week Later**_

"_It's coming."_

Sam Alexander, alias Nova of the Nova Corps, crashed into New York City to deliver this cryptic warning. Right now, he's in the Avenger Tower's sick bay in a comatose, but stable, state. In order to find out what "it" was, the Avengers dug for information. Using the advanced technology Tony Stark had to offer, they were able to determine that "it" was the Phoenix Force.

Based on gathered intel found in the S.H.I.E.L.D worldwide database, the Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity possessing great power. Unfortunately, it had a mind of it's own and, while it having the potential to be used for good, it is unstable and destructive.

To Steve Rogers, known as Captain America, this could spell the destruction of the Earth as they knew it. While it will be a cold day in hell before he'll let that happen, he still couldn't help but feel quite unsettled about the situation.

He had consulted Wolverine, who had first-hand experience with the cosmic entity, on this matter. From what Logan told him, a young girl named Hope Summers is pegged as the next host. He also told Steve that the X-Men, particularly Cyclops, will not give her up so easily and will even fight to the death if they had to.

Steve knew, of course, that it will only end in bloodshed at this rate, and he had grown weary of it.

He thought of the many heroes, the many comrades he had lost over these wars. The Civil War, The Skrull Invasion, Osborn's Reign, The Siege of Asgard, and so many others. He had fought in all these and it was beginning to take it's toll on him. How many more must die? How many more must give their lives for the greater good?

These thoughts were running through his head as he sat alone in the mess hall, gazing on his trademark shield. In it's reflection, he saw Janet, Bill, Robert and so many others who have died. Even now, the memory of those deaths keep haunting him.

"Sir?"

Shaken out of his reverie, Cap looked up to see Chris Redfield, clad in his usual B.S.A.A gear, waiting for him. "We will be leaving for Utopia in 13:00 hours. Director Fury and the others are waiting for you in the bridge for mission briefing."

"All right, tell them that I'll be there. That will be all, soldier."

Chris was about to take leave when, seeing Steve's dejected expression, turned around and asked "Everything all right, sir?"

"Just a little anxious." Cap said after a long pause. "We both know that our relations with the X-Men are tenuous at the moment. With what's coming, I fear that a war with them will ensue. A war that will cost many lives."

Captain America gazed at his shield once more, the faces of the dead continuing to haunt him "With everything that has happened over the years, I don't know if I can take anymore blood in my hands."

"Well, join the club, sir." agreed Chris "A year back, I lost my entire squad, all of them good men, in an operation in Edonia. For a while, I quit the B.S.A.A, wandered around bars and got my ass drunk on a regular basis. Man, I was a wreck."

The muscular operative reached for his pocket and pulled out a tattered B.S.A.A badge, some blood stains still smudging the fabric.

"A good friend of mine managed to smack some sense into me, convinced me to rejoin the B.S.A.A and take part in that operation in China." Chris smiled, remembering how much of pain in the ass that guy was. "We managed to complete the mission, but at the cost of his life. This badge is all that is left of him."

Chris gripped it tightly, his hand shaking from the emotion the memory invoked, his face trying to mask the grief he felt.

Steve nodded in understanding. "I heard about what happened in Lianshang, and what you did there. Piers Nivans was a good man."

"Indeed he was," continued Chris with intense determination in his eyes "He did teach me something before he died: Never forget what you're fighting for."

As he listened to his story, Cap felt amazed at how Chris, a normal baseline human being, could stand up to insurmountable odds and win the day.

Steve looked at his shield again with renewed resolve. Chris Redfield has continued to fight even after suffering so much loss, a normal human with superhuman will.

Captain America felt that he shouldn't do any less. Especially for those who have died fighting, heroes each one of them.

He stood up and gave the B.S.A.A operative a pat on the shoulder "Thanks, Chris. You gave this soldier his fighting spirit back. Now," Cap continued with a grin "Let's not keep everyone waiting, shall we?"

"Right this way, sir." said Chris, leading the way as they both exited the mess hall, both battle-hardened veterans ready for more.

~0~

_**San Francisco, California**_

"Man, that last part had 'Bromance' written all over it!"

"What the hell are you talking about now, Wade?" Dante looked incredulously at Deadpool as the Devil May Cry crew were snacking at the local Mexican joint.

"I'm just saying!" Deadpool pulled up his mask and took a bite out of his chimichanga. "Oh yeah, that's the stuff!" As he said this, bits of ground beef were spraying right at Laura's face

"Damn it, Wade! Chew with your mouth closed!" said Laura as she was shielding herself from the flying bits of Deadpool's lunch.

"My table manners shall not be questioned, woman!" The Merc with a Mouth declared as he wolfed down the entire thing and gave a satisfied belch afterward.

"So Dante," continued Laura as she struggled with the urge to gut Wade there and then "What are we doing in San Francisco anyway?"

"If you guys must know," Dante began, pausing only to take a bite out of his burrito "It all started three days ago..."

_**(DP: YEY! FLASHBACK!)**_

~0~

_**Devil May Cry, three days ago**_

_Man, I need a drink._

This was Dante's only thought as he dragged his feet along the corridor. Clad in nothing but a form fitting tank top and his boxers, he managed to make it down the stairs in his search for a drink.

It was past midnight, by then Laura and Wade would be sound asleep, making the Son of Sparda's trip to the fridge undisturbed.

The only downer here is that he couldn't find that cup of expensive strawberry sundae he was saving. "If Wade took my sundae, there's going to be hell to pay." thought the groggy half-demon as he was scouring the fridge for a drink.

He managed grab a beer when he heard a noise coming from behind him. His demon-hunting instincts kicking in, he whipped out Ebony with his free hand (how he kept it in his boxers, I do not know) and turned only to face air.

Dante let out a frustrated sigh, especially since he's now wide awake and unable to sleep. He decided to go to the den and just pass the time there.

He sat on the couch, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV as he drank his beer, not even bothering to turn on the light. A few minutes later, without even glancing behind him, he aimed Ivory at his desk. "I know you're there, so I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you."

"Well, I'm impressed. You're as skilled as they say, devil hunter."

The silver-haired half-demon turned to see a slender feminine figure sitting on his desk. She was of Asian descent, her jet-black hair was cut in a bob-style that complimented her delicate features. She wore a red blouse revealing a bit of her cleavage. She had black tight-fitted pants on, with gloves and high-heeled boots that matched in color. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed twinkle in the night. She wore a mischievous smile, revealing flawless teeth, as she was scooping up the remnants of Dante's precious strawberry sundae.

"I was saving that, you know!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't take you for a sweet tooth, darling." She said in a sultry voice. Licking her lips, she stood up and approached Dante, pacing around him much like a lioness stalking her prey.

"Who are you?" was all Dante could let out after a few minutes.

"No need to know, handsome. Most of the world thinks I'm dead anyway." said the stranger "But I do know a lot about you, Son of Sparda. Your credentials are simply...astounding."

"Yeah, yeah. Seems everyone knows who my father is lately." muttered the half-demon "So, seeing as you're here in the middle of the night, babe," began Dante "You either want to kill me, you have a job for me or you really want to get in my pants."

"More of option two. Don't get ahead of yourself, tiger." The red-clad interloper said with a sly grin.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Dante raised his hands in mock surrender. He made his way to his desk and sat down, his expression serious as he focused on his potential client.

"So, whaddya want?"

The mysterious woman slid a holo-pad across the desk and began debriefing him on his mission "My employers wish to enlist your aid in a matter of great importance."

The silver-haired Son of Sparda grabbed the device and saw the eagle insignia that the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (a.k.a S.H.I.E.L.D) is known for.

"Figures that you're with the government."

"Close, but not quite." corrected his client as she moved beside the devil-hunter "While I do work with S.H.I.E.L.D on occasion, I still go my own way, free to do whatever I please."

"Pretty cushy job you got there." remarked the demon-hunter, a slight hint of envy underlying his tone

"Anyway," continued the woman "You'll see in here that the Avengers will be heading for Utopia in a few days from now."

The lady in red leaned closer to Dante, pressed a few buttons, and images of Utopia, the Avengers, the X-Men and a red-headed teenage girl appeared on the screen.

"They will attempt to negotiate with the X-Men for the custody of this girl, Hope Summers. While we expect things to go sour, we'll leave the Avengers to handle that."

Dante shot her a puzzled look "So what am I supposed to be doing then?"

"You will be keeping these pests out of the way." She pressed more buttons and images of various terrorist groups such as Shadaloo, S.I.N, Neo-Umbrella, Hydra, and many others popped up on-screen.

"Our intel suspects that every scumbag will come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the tense situation" she explained "Your mission will be to be on the lookout for any unwanted party guests and give them the boot if necessary. What do you think?"

Dante studied the pad a bit more. After a few minutes of silence, he gave his answer.

"Sorry, lady. I ain't interested."

"I have to admit," said the Lady in Red, hiding her surprise well "I'm a little disappointed, Dante."

"Well, that's too bad." Dante said as he reclined in his desk "I ain't too keen with working with the government. Also, we here at Devil May Cry have a strict 'don't kill humans' policy. We specialize in demons, not this kind of crap. Lastly, you took my sundae, which hurt your chances a little."

He finished off what's left of his bottle of beer in one gulp as he handed the pad to the Lady in Red "So sorry, missie. Looks like it's a no."

"Before I leave," said the Lady in Red "Mind if you give me one last shot at convincing you?"

The silver-haired half-demon contemplated for a moment. "I don't see why the hell not."

The mysterious woman pressed a few more buttons, then passed the pad back to Dante.

"These images were taken recently, around a few days before I was sent here. I'm pretty sure you will find them quite interesting."

What Dante saw certainly got his full, undivided attention. It was a certain blue-clad half-demon, katana in tow, wandering around the streets of San Francisco trying to look inconspicuous.

"Vergil..."

"Yes. Your dear twin brother showed up just around the time we got our intel. He was major player in the Galactus Wars and has been laying low for quite sometime."

Dante turned to the Lady in Red, his demeanor much more serious now "So you're saying that if he's turned up..."

"Then something big is going down." she finished "This is why we need your help on this, Dante. If anyone can take on your brother, you can."

"So," She extended her gloved hand, hoping that her trump card worked "Do we have a deal?"

The experienced demon-hunter took a moment to think about it. While he wasn't exactly too keen on working with S.H.I.E.L.D, he still had a responsibility to his twin. He had to turn Vergil away from this futile path, and if he can't...

Dante didn't even want to think of that time he thought he killed his twin brother. Still, if there was a chance to smack some sense into him, he would take it.

"Fine, I'm in." Dante took the woman's hand in a firm handshake, forging what could be an interesting alliance. "I expect to get paid big for this, though! And you still owe me that sundae!"

"Oh, don't worry," said the Lady in Red with a smile "I'll make sure you are compensated for your help. Just get to San Francisco three days from now."

"I'll assemble my team, and we'll be there by tomorrow evening."

"That's good to hear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I better going." She made her way to the nearest window and opened it.

"I'll call if anything comes up. Remember," She turned to Dante with a sly grin on her face "A lady doesn't like to be kept waiting."

With that, she fired a grappling gun that latched itself into one of the rooftops. She zipped through the air, disappearing into the night.

After these strange turn of events, Dante wandered aloud "How come I never meet any nice girls?"

~0~

"So let me get this straight," began Wade after hearing Dante's tale "Asian Batgirl sneaks into our house, says she works with S.H.I.E.L.D, gives us this sweet gig as well as information on Nero Sr., and disappears before me and Summer Glau over here noticed?"

"Yup, that's pretty much what happened, Wade."

The mad mercenary paused only to chug on his large coke "You sure this chick ain't playing us?"

"For once, I agree with Wade" chimed in X-23 as she grabbed a bunch of nachos to crunch on "How are we so sure that this isn't a trap?"

"Well,I wouldn't be too worried it." Dante assured them with a toothy grin "She seems way to smart to pull that one over us, given my reputation as a dashing young devil-hunter."

"Oh Sure, and I'm married to Black Widow!" retorted Deadpool.

"_Atchoo!"_

"_Allergies, Natasha?" asked Clint Barton as they were on their way to Avengers Tower_

"_I guess so," Natasha Romanova said as she sniffed her nose "Yet, I can't shake the feeling that someone's talking about me somewhere..."_

"_Must be your imagination, I guess."_

"_Yeah, I guess so..." She thought of it no more as she entered Avengers Tower with Clint._

"Seriously, though. She doesn't seem the type to turn on us on a whim." continued the red-clad demon-hunter "Plus, information on my brother is hard to come by. So I say we trust her for now and see how it goes."

Laura and Wade said no more; in their three years working together, they had learned to trust Dante's judgment when it came to these kind of matters, for he was rarely wrong.

"Well, it's time we got out of here." declared Dante, standing up alongside his comrades, ready to leave the restaurant.

"Hey! Mind if I use the little merc's room before we go?" Deadpool was clearly suffering the effect of that chimchanga he ate, his bowels threatening to burst unless he was relieved.

"Fine! Just don't take too long!" said Laura "I needed to speak with Dante anyway."

"_**VAMONOS!"**_ shouted Deadpool as he rushed towards the closest bathroom, occupying immediately to do his business.

"So," began Dante as they stepped outside to wait for the Merc with a Mouth "What did you want to talk about?"

"Listen," Laura said, "About your brother..."

"What about him?

"I just wanted to check if you're okay."

Dante saw that Laura had genuine concern in her eyes. While she still has some problems understanding human emotions, pain was one she had grown very familiar with.

If there was one thing Laura and Dante had in common, is that they both lost their mothers at a young age, albeit in different circumstances.

This why she understands his bond with Vergil. He is the only living family Dante has in this world, and, as his brother, wanted to walk with him, to play him and die for him if need be. Laura certainly felt the same for Logan, who she had protected on more than one occasion.

"I doing fine, Laura" answered Dante with a smile "Thanks for asking."

"Also," She was stammering, blushing heavily as she was thinking of what to say "I just want you to know that we're with you on this, no matter what happens."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Dante saw that Laura smiled at that remark. For some reason, he seemed to be at peace whenever she does that.

"Uhm, am I missing a mushfest or something?"

They both turned to see Deadpool, relaxed and ready to go, poking his head out of the door.

Without another word, all three of them entered the red sports car S.H.I.E.L.D lent to them for use and drove down the highway, not knowing the challenges that await ahead.

END CHAPTER 3

_**A/N: Man, that took me forever to write! Anyway, just a couple of things before I sign off:**_

_**Janet, Bill and Robert were the heroes known as The Wasp, Black Goliath and The Sentry respectively. Each of them died in the recent story arcs as of late.**_

_**The identity of the Lady in Red is pretty obvious to those who are familiar with the Resident Evil series. Even the grappling hook is a dead giveaway.**_

_** Sketched Hero – Thanks for the review! Glad to hear that you're enjoying this fic so far. Expect more Dante/X-23 in future chapters and a hell lot more Deadpool!**_

_**DP: DAMN STRAIGHT!**_

_**Well said, Deadpool! Well, that's about it for this edition of Life After the Merge: Phoenix May Cry. Tune in for the next chapter! See ya!**_


End file.
